On Wed, 25 Nov 1998, brian wrote:
Hello Brian,
Whether the universe will stop expanding and start to contract depends on
how much matter is in the universe. Based on the best observations to
date, there is only 1/3 to 1/2 of the necessary mass, which means that
the universe will likely expand forever. In fact, new data is hinting at
the possibility that the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing
rate. So, it looks as though there is no hope for the re-collapsing
universe (Although, personally, I would like the universe to recollapse.
But the Universe doesn't care about my opinion.)
Thanks for writing!
Sincerely,
Kurtis Williams
Back to the
Ask An Astronomer page.